Caring Dairy

Happy Cows, Happy Planet & Happy Farmers

Ben & Jerry’s is on a mission to make great ice cream in the nicest possible way. When you know that over half of a tub of Ben & Jerry’s is made up of dairy cream and milk, it is no surprise that we only want to use the best dairy for our ice cream.

Caring Dairy offers our farmers a framework for understanding, evaluating and continuously improving the sustainability of their farms. We believe that the programme supports happy farmers, happy cows and a happy planet!

Happy Cows

We support farmers who graze their cows outside in fields and provide them with healthy nutrition too. We believe healthy & happy cows produce better milk, which (lucky for us) makes better ice cream!

Happy Farmers

We pay our farmers a premium for participating in the Caring Dairy programme and for grazing their cows outside in the warmer months. The dairy co-operatives we work with organise over 100 educational workshops a year, on topics that we hope will improve their livelihoods and keep the quality and standards of our farmers’ practices high.

Happy Planet

Taking care of the planet is an important part of Caring Dairy. We are always trying to decrease the environmental impact of our farms. Being good to the land is important to us and our farmers.

How Caring Dairy Works

The Caring Dairy Programme is based upon an easy-to –use web based self-assessment provided to farmers that enables them to evaluate their farm against a comprehensive set of key criteria – or “sustainability indicators” – for farming. The self assessment results help farmers identify areas for aim improvement and guide them towards changes. They then develop and implement improvement plans, and re-assess to evaluate progress. Caring Dairy helps farmers develop a personal action plan to make improvements in their farm.

Supporting Better Dairy

Back in 2012, we formed a coalition with two animal welfare NGOs, World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and Compassion in World Farming to run a year-long campaign to call for better welfare standards in Europe’s dairy industry. Together, we collected almost 300,000 signatures!

THE programme

Caring Dairy enables farmers to evaluate their farms against a comprehensive set of key criteria, or ‘Sustainability Indicators’. We know that every farm is as unique as each of our ice cream flavours, that is why Caring Dairy helps farmers develop a personal action plan to make improvements in their farm.

* Soil Fertility and Health *

Soil Fertility and health

Soil fertility and health is the foundation of productive agriculture and an important component of environmental stewardship. Limitations to soil quality must be addressed, and high levels of soil fertility and health must be reached and maintained to sustain consistent quality yields. One of the keystones of soil quality is the management of soil organic matter. The following scored criteria address aspects of soil fertility and health, in part by enhancing soil organic matter content and quality:

Scored criteria address the following topics:

* Soil Loss Management *

Soil Loss Management

Protecting soil from erosion is critical to maintaining soil health on the field and avoiding nutrient and sediment pollution in waterways and surface water. Cropping practices can be used to avoid leaving soil bare to wind and rain erosion. Careful management of land and livestock can reduce the likelihood of soil erosion and some practices may also improve soil quality by adding soil organic matter.

* Nutrients *

Nutrients

The nutrients harvested from a field in row crops and hay must be replaced in order to meet the needs of future production. For dairy cows, only 20% of the nutrients they consume are exported from the farm in milk. Much of the remainder is excreted in manure and urine. Dairy farms can take advantage of this nutrient cycling by growing high quality crops using soil nutrients, feeding those crops to dairy cows to make milk, and then using the manure and other materials, such as bedding, to return nutrients to the soil to grow more high quality crops.

* Farm Financials *

Farm Financials

Financially sound management is critical for the long-term success of a family dairy farm. Successful dairy farmers understand and keep an eye on their farms’ income, expenses, and production costs, while also planning for the long term. Utilising good financial management strategies and sound debt management gives farmers better opportunities to stay profitable.

Scored criteria address the following topics:

* Social Human Capital *

Social Human Capital

Success is not measured in just financial terms. To have a wholly successful business, farm owners and employees must have a good quality of life, including good working conditions, reasonable work hours, and positive involvement in the local community. This provides social human capital, which includes community involvement, work/life balance, and labour conditions.

Scored criteria address the following topics:

Community involvement

Work/life balance

Fair and legal treatment of all employees, and participation in labor training programs

Scored criteria address the following topics:

* Biodiversity *

Biodiversity

Biodiversity is crucial to a working ecosystem. Farmers are one of the largest groups of land managers, and are often involved in ensuring farming and wildlife are living beneficially together. Their choices impact millions of acres and countless wildlife.

Scored criteria address the following topics:

* Animal Husbandry/Welfare *

Animal Husbandry/Welfare

Well-cared-for dairy cows are a key ingredient to good dairy products and sustainable dairy farms, a point appreciated by dairy producers. To maintain high quality animal care, careful management is carried out from birth to milking and finally until the time a cow leaves the farm. This includes raising calves and heifers in a good environment, providing calm interactions between cows and employees, and caring for animals so they can enjoy basic freedoms. Cows must have nutritious quality feed, clean abundant water, comfortable areas to rest, and appropriate health management.

* Energy *

Energy

Energy management (fuel and electricity) can ensure that dairy farmers reduce the carbon footprint of milk production while also impacting farm financial sustainability. Farm energy efficiency and alternative energy practices have evolved to provide many opportunities to improve energy efficiency and even produce electricity on the farm.

* Water *

Water

Water is a critical natural resource that needs to be used judiciously and protected from unfiltered runoff. Farmers can apply numerous techniques to minimise runoff and to improve natural buffers and filter strips that protect waterways. Technologies are also making it possible to minimize water use, and recycling and re-using grey water.

* Impact on Local Economy *

Impact on local economy

Dairy farmers have long played an important role in their local economy. Farmer provide employment, space for recreation, support local businesses and can provide educational experiences. Farming is a critical part of many rural communities.

* Farm Metrics *

Farm metrics

Dairy farms must evaluate the monetary impacts of environmental changes that they make. Reductions in resource utilisation or more efficient use or resources has positive environmental impacts and impacts to costs. Efficient utilisation of resources supports long-term production successful business operation.

Ben & Jerry’s operates on a three-part mission that aims to create linked prosperity from everyone that’s connected to our business. From marriage equality to cow-friendly farming, there are many issues we hold close to our hearts.